Anthony Davis trade chatter delivers Mavericks a crushing blow

With just over 50 days until the NBA's trade deadline, Anthony Davis' trade market does not seem to be heating up. The Dallas Mavericks are listening to offers for their star big man, but are not necessarily set on trading him this season.

"There doesn't seem to be much of a market (subscription required) for him at this juncture of Trade Season," leading NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on Monday.

Dallas wants to remain competitive for now and could wait to explore trading him until the offseason, but the chances of him remaining a Maverick beyond the trade deadline may be increasing by the day. He just missed his 16th game of the season last night due to a left calf contusion, and he must prove that he can remain healthy in order for teams to chase him.

Anthony Davis' trade market is small

No team will want to trade for Davis if he hasn't consistently been in the lineup and producing at a high level, and the severity of his recent calf injury could be a major X-factor for the remainder of the season. Him sitting out last night's game against the Utah Jazz could've just been an example of player injury management to give him a rest, but the end of the game film against the Brooklyn Nets says otherwise.

He and Max Christie collided on defense with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, and he immediately favored his right leg before recovering and contesting a shot at the rim. Davis' status for Thursday night's game against the Detroit Pistons should be a great indicator of how severe his current injury is, and every game he misses worsens his trade value.

This is the worst news that Mavericks fans who want Davis gone could get, as teams aren't lining up out the door to get their hands on him. Interest across the league could've created a small bidding war, which would've been ideal for Dallas, but that doesn't seem to be happening.

This would've gotten more teams involved in the race to land him, simultaneously driving up his trade value. The Mavericks aren't just going to give up Davis for nothing, and the more teams that show interest in him, the better.

Now, with about a month and a half until the trade deadline, the two teams that are showing the most interest in Davis are the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks. Both teams have some intriguing assets that could convince Dallas to part with their star big man, but according to Fischer, "(he's) not hearing much optimism at the moment that Atlanta can get anywhere near a package that would tempt Dallas."

Patrick Dumont understands what it took to get Davis to Dallas, and he isn't going to get rid of him just to say he did. The Mavericks want to get fair value for him in a trade, and if they can't do this ahead of the trade deadline, they'll just wait until the offseason.

The Mavericks want to push ahead for the time being, and keeping Davis around will help them do just that. They are 4-1 in the last five games that he's played in, and he remains one of the most impactful players on the roster.

His defense is still other-worldly, and he can score at will around the basket when fully engaged, and he will have to show that on every given night to show teams around the NBA that he is worth their precious draft capital and young players. Teams don't want to be guessing what they're going to get when making a blockbuster trade, and until Davis shows some consistency, that's the situation that rival teams are in.

For now, the market seems limited, and fans' dreams of the Mavericks landing a massive haul for Anthony Davis seem to be dwindling. There is still plenty of time for him to up his trade stock with good health and high-level hoops, but the clock is ticking for a bidding war to ensue.